Rashee Rice likely will play the entire 2024 season, despite felony charges

Throughout final evening’s pregame present, I offered an replace on the Rashee Rice state of affairs. We addressed it in additional element this morning, throughout PFT Reside.

The NFL makes paid go away obtainable for gamers who face felony prices. Rice faces felony prices — eight of them — from a Dallas street-racing incident in March 2024.

So why has he not been positioned on paid go away?

The obvious clarification is that the league sometimes makes use of paid go away (a/okay/a the Commissioner Exempt listing) in instances involving home violence. Rice’s case didn’t. Though issues may have turned out a lot worse, it concerned conduct that must be deterred. Rice (and people within the different automobiles concerned within the crash) bought fortunate this time. Subsequent time, the luck may break a special method.

Nonetheless, the league has stated it doesn’t anticipate inserting Rice on paid go away, absent a “materials change” within the case. One such change may come from a responsible plea, to a number of felony prices. At that pont, the league may put him on paid go away pending the official inner Private Conduct Coverage evaluate and punishment.

A responsible plea through the 2024 season is unlikely, nonetheless. Per a supply with data of the state of affairs, there’s no trial date. It would occur, because the earliest, in December 2024. Thus, there’s no urgency to achieve a plea deal till the legal professionals are gazing a trial date.

After all, if the prosecutors select to attempt to stick it to Rice, they might provide him a deal now — with a brief fuse for accepting it and a menace/promise that, if he rejects it, the case will go to trial on all prices. That may drive Rice to decide on between authorized final result and profession final result.

For now, the considering is that Rice (who had 103 receiving yards final evening) may have an enormous second season. If the case is resolved after the 2024 marketing campaign and if he serves a suspension to begin the season, he’ll already be established as an incredible participant earlier than the suspension begins.

It’s arduous to think about Rice not being suspended, finally. Nevertheless it’s at present unlikely that he’ll miss time in 2024 because of the off-field problem.